The World Known
by Commander Aldebaran
Summary: In a world where Shifters and Were-Animals exist in secrecy, Detective Colbert is left in the dark. When there's an attempt on his life, he suddenly finds himself thrown in headfirst with the most unlikely of protectors, a Shifter named Nate.
1. Chapter 1

The 4-9 precinct was busy when Detective Brad Colbert entered it for the first time. Officers and Detectives alike were running back and forth, yelling, handing off papers and all and all trying to survive to rabble the squad area had fallen into. A young officer with a shock of blond hair knocked into him before he mumbled a hasty apology and scurried off to the other side of the room, where a man in a sergeant's uniform was barking out orders and pointing in different directions.

It wasn't much better on the upper riser level, where several windowed offices were. Men and women in sergeant, lieutenant and even captain's uniforms were marching to and fro, barking orders down into the chaos below, talking over walkie-talkies and into phones and looking just as frazzled as everyone else.

Brad grunted again as he was knocked into for the second time in as many minutes and he had to look down at the man in front him. "Move your ass!" He heard from behind the stack of files in front of his face and Brad raised an eyebrow.

"Move my ass? You can't even see over those things." He snorted. The shorter man put the files on the desk next to him and leveled Brad with an even glare. "I don't know what shithole precinct they dragged your tall ass out of, but unless you're as fucking stupid as you're acting, I'd bet my ass cherry you can see we're a bit busy." He spat out and Brad's eyes widened almost imperceptibly in shock before he smirked. He liked this guy.

The other man took a solid look at him for a few seconds before going to open his mouth to speak, but he was stopped by the sudden change around them. The room had fallen silent and no one was moving. No one said a single word. They were all staring at the door to the squad floor with wide, almost nervous looks, even from the detectives.

That's when he heard it.

It was the sound of three pairs of boots on the tile, two steady, one faltering.

Brad's heard it before.

The door darkens and then he sees him.

Supported between two men in full swat gear is another man, dressed in a tattered polo and a pair of jeans, black dog boots scuffing the floor as he limped forward, supported by the two men. His hair was shorn close to his head, giving it a dark look and his eyes were green like moss and they shone bright with pain. He was handcuffed between his escorts as they brought him all the way into the room and sat him in a chair. There was another pair of footsteps and a man dressed in a Captain's uniform made his way down the stairs, stopping in front of the group.

One of the men in swat gear produced a key, which he handed off to the man in uniform and they stepped back to give him room. There's was still a tense silence in the room as Brad waited for something to happen.

"Nate? You all right?" The man in uniform asked, looking concerned. There was silence for a minute more before the man in the chair, Nate, spoke.  
>"I'm just fine Captain. We got them and I only got kicked half a dozen times." He says with mock derision and the squad area erupted into cheers and smiles. The Captain unlocked the cuffs and flung them onto the nearby desk as he helped Nate to his feet.<p>

Brad watched as the other man was surround by officers and detectives who made a big show of congratulating him before returning to their work. The short weasel of a man Brad had been talking to was gone, over by the man and talking to him rapidly.

Finally, the Captain put a stop to the noise. "Alright you lot. The Lieutenant needs to see the medic and you all need to get to work. Now." He ordered over the good-natured groans and well placed jabs of his detectives and officers.

Already a paramedic was closing in on Nate and the Captain, blue bag slung over his shoulders. Nate was about to protest when the Captain silenced him with a look. "Not happening, Nate. You said half a dozen times, which really means probably about fifteen, because you're a horrible lair and we all know it. That, and if you don't go with the medics, I sic Rudy on you."

Nate nodded and allowed the paramedic to steer him off when finally the Captain's eyes alighted on him and he made his way over. "You must be Detective Colbert. You'll have to forgive me, I didn't think you'd be in until later, and news of the raid had already circulated. Come on up to the office." He said easily and Brad swore there was some kind of southern drawl in the older man's voice.

He followed the man up a flight of stairs to the riser level and then down the length of the room to a windowed office in the corner. Both men took a seat, the Captain behind the desk and Brad in front of it while they stared each other down. "I guess I should start by welcoming you to the 4-9. We handle just about everything here, nothing fancy or special like Special Victims or Vice. I'm Captain Wynn and I run this precinct." He said, staring Brad straight in the eyes.

Brad stared right back at him. "Brad Colbert, Detective III Class." He responded. Wynn sized him up for a few minutes before nodding. "Good. Now, as I was saying earlier, I wasn't expecting you until this afternoon, when the squad room had settled down a bit but, as you can see, we're all a little high strung right now." he shuffled a few papers around on the desk.

"You did say something about the raid. Who was that guy the heavies brought in?" Wynn looked up. "That was Lieutenant Nate Fick. He spent the last month a half deep undercover, trying to bring down a human trafficking ring. Today was the raid. Successful, thanks to him." Wynn looked up and watched as a young uniformed officer entered the room.

"Officer Hasser. Come in." He said and the young man did. Brad recognized him almost instantly recognized him as the officer that bumped into him earlier. "Detective Colbert, Officer Hasser here is gonna take you down to your desk and introduce you to your partner. You won't get much started today, but tomorrow, we'll get you started on everyone's favorite pastime. Paperwork." He grinned broadly and held out his hand, which Brad shook firmly before he followed Hasser outside the into the hall.

The squad area had calmed down considerably and most people were back at their desks and scribbling down reports from complainants, tapping out reports and conferring with their fellow officers. Brad, in a rare attempt at breaking the silence, tried starting a conversation with the young officer. "How long have you been here?" He asked.

The young officer swiveled his head around and looked at him with bright blue eyes. "A year. I just finished by probationary period and was promoted to Officer II Class." He said, before turning around and Brad realized they were standing in front of a pair of desk, one of which was occupied already while the other was barren of anything other than a computer, a phone and a notepad.

"Well well. If it isn't tall, blonde and in the way of every motherfucker in the squad room. Let me guess Hasser. I'm stuck with him, aren't I?" The smaller man said from behind the desk, face screwed up. The officer gave him a stern look.

"Ray, try to be nice or Captain Wynn will put you on graveyards again and I'll end up riding with Encino Man and I can't guarantee I won't shoot him myself if that happens."

"I wouldn't do that to you, Walt. When have I ever steered you wrong?"

"You want the long list or the short list?"

"You wound me, Hasser. Would it help if I got on my knees?"

Walt blushed darkly and Brad grinned. He was right. He liked this guy. "Ray!" Walt hissed, trying hard to cover the color that had stained his cheeks dark red. "J-just be nice." He tried to sound stern, but his stutter ruined it and all Ray did was smile brightly before, with a single-fingered salute, Walt stalked off in the opposite direction.

Brad and Ray leveled each other with cool looks for several minutes before Brad spoke. "Listen here you whiskey tango inbred sister fucking moron, I'm not here to wipe you ass or be your bestest buddy ever. So just make sure I don't get shot and we'll get along just fine." Brad said coolly and Ray's eyes widened for a moment before he broke into a grin so wide Brad swore his face was going to split in half in about five seconds and then Brad would have to clean it up and listen to a lecture on not killing his partner on the first day.

"I think we're going to get along just peachy-keen. Stick with me, you tall ass fucker and we're gonna rock this place."


	2. Chapter 2

"Nate, can you handle parade today? I have a meeting." Nate looked up from his desk and cocked his head to the side. "With the brass?" He asked, looking confused. "I though you guys only met twice a month unless it was an emergency." He said, sitting back in his chair and staring at his Captain.

Mike shook his head. "No, not the brass. The Council called. A new Clan wants to form within the city and the Council wants to weigh in on what the other leaders think." Nate blinked. "I thought that the Council agreed that Gray Warren and Black Frost were going to be the only Clans within the city? Why change their minds now?" Mike shrugged his shoulders and made a frustrated sound in his chest.

"Who knows. The Pack leaders are going to be there as well, so it must be a big Clan that wants to form. Can you tell the rest of the guys for me?" Nate made a surprised noise in his chest. "Well hell, I'm just glad I don't have to put up with politics. I'll make sure to pass along the message after parade. You have fun with that." He said brightly. Mike rolled his eyes and left the room while Nate stood up. He was dressed in a gray suit and we still feeling the pain from yesterday's raid and it showed in his gait as he limped lightly down the stairs and into the parade room, where officers and detectives were already gathering for the day.

Nate took his spot behind the podium and whistled for silence. "Alright listen up! We're going to be busy today, which means we need to get this out of the way." He spoke loudly to be heard over the entire room. "First though, I hear introductions are in order. We're joined by Detective Brad Colbert. I expect everyone to be nice." He narrowed his eyes. "Which means, Person and Espera, no hamsters in the new guy's locker. No laxatives in the coffee. _And NO paint bombs in my squad room._" He growled.

"Awww, LT, you're no fun!" He heard from the back of the room. "Person, if you want to mess with the new guy, wait until the paintball tournament next month." He said and he received laughter from everyone in the room. Everyone knew Ray Person sucked at paintball.

"Now down to business. Its Family Day in Central Park, which means more people than usual and a lot more children. This is a hay-day for child predators and kidnappers. While most of you are going to be within the park itself, I want you to be attention to entrances and exits. We'll be working with the mounted police and the dog handlers. I'm going to gently remind you that if a small child approaches you and asks a million question, answer them. If another mother files a complaint, we're never going to hear the end of it. Everyone got that?"

"Yes, Sir!"

Nate nodded. "Good. I need to see Detectives Ray Person, Tony Espera and Jamie Cass as well as Sergeant Rudy Reyes and Officer Walt Hasser afterward. Everyone else is dismissed." The parade room and emptied and the small group he requested came forward and slumped in the first row of desks. Nate looked up at the imposing shadow in the back of the room, blue eyes boring into him. "Detective Colbert, I'm going to have to ask you to step outside and shut the door after you." He received an even stare before the tall man turned around and left the room. Once the door was shut, the tension drained out of the room.

"Damn, brother. Thought you were going to explode after a little more of that." Nate gave him a lackadaisical smile and came to sit on the edge of the raised platform. "Give me more credit than that. I've dealt with people worse than him before. Remember that Werewolf who used to be the second of the Dark Night pack? Just about ripped my leg off. I can handle tall and broody over there." He was treated to snorts and Ray rolled his eyes.

"Guys like that fucker give the rest of my kind a bad name. Now you're probably afraid of all werewolves and Rudy's going to have to comfort you through every full moon for the rest of unnatural life you pansy ass motherfucking shifter bitch." Nate growled again, lacking any heat, and threw a pen at Ray from his pocket, hitting him square in the nose. "Shut up for a minute." He said and Ray subsided. "Mike got called to a meeting of the Council today. A new Clan wants to form within the city limits and they wanted to get a feel as to how the Pack and Clan Leaders feel about it, especially after last year's declaration that Gray Warren and Black Frost are supposed to be the only Shifter Clans within city limits."

There was silence for a minute when the others seemed to absorb this information. "Where would they meet to Run at the full moon? Gray Warren and the Great Fang pack run at Pelham Bay and there's nowhere else big enough or deserted enough that another Pack or Clan hasn't already claimed, unless you're willing to drive to the Catskills every month." Nate shrugged his shoulders and made a helpless noise in his chest.

"I don't know. Politics like this is why I backed out of the running for Clan leader five decades ago. Obviously there's no room for another Clan but the Council doesn't seem to think that's important. And as much as I adore the Elders, I sometimes think their old age is getting to them." He said, standing up. "I'll keep you updated on the situation as soon as I learn anything, but my guess? Get ready for a very hectic Run next week."

The others rose from their seats and Nate bothered to look out the glass wall into the squad area, checking to make sure no one had been listening to their conversation. It was clear and the squad floor was actually fairly deserted at that point. Nate's eyes were drawn to a desk near the parade room's wall. Detective Colbert was leaning up against his desk, talking into his cell phone heatedly.

If Nate were brutally honest with himself, he had to admit that Detective Colbert was very handsome. Tall and lean, with piercing blue eyes, he was definitely Nate's type. It was a shame really. No way on this green earth he swung that way.

"Detective Person, please remind your new partner that cell phones are for emergencies only. Not fighting with the wife or girlfriend. Please tell him to have it off by the time he gets in his squad car. He's riding with you for about a week, then you can have Walt back. Walt, you're riding with Poke today, alright?" He received nods and he led them out of the room and onto the squad floor.

"LT, what are you doing today? Sitting on you ass in the air conditioned command vehicle?" Ray asked him with a vicious grin and Nate snorted. "As a matter of fact, Detective Person, today I'm going to be working with the dog handlers. I won that bet with Kocher from the 5-2 and he has to cover my paperwork at the big event of my choosing. I happen to like Family Day and the single moms find a man in uniform with a dog simply irresistible. Not to mention, I actually like children."

Ray snorted. "Of course you do you over-educated dick sucking son of a bitch." Ray hissed at him playfully and Nate rolled his eyes. He didn't get to where he was today without becoming immune to Ray Person. Detective Colbert on the other hand? He looked surprised and Nate grinned predatoraly in his head. That was a delicious look on him.

He shook his head and snorted at himself. Damn hormones were building up already. He couldn't wait for the run but if this got worse, he'd have to shift beforehand. Rudy and Poke were looking at he and Walt with understanding looks. Walt was very new and had come into his powers only a few months before and, even though Nate was over a century old, both were experiencing a sudden rush of the hormones the Were or Shifter part of their brains generated, making them twitchy and restless. Nate moved over to Ray and placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him in place and leaning down to whisper in his ear, so quiet you needed the attuned senses of a supernatural to hear.

"You should take Walt for a run after work today. I'm going to Pelham, if you want to join me." He leaned back, affected a broad smirk and raised his voice to be heard. "We'll make a date of it. Dinner and everything, on me." Ray gave him a look before he batted his eyes and looked at him with a lewd grin.

"_Oh Nathaniel!_ Would you?" Nate rolled his eyes again and pushed Ray away, much to the amusement of the others in their small group and the bemusement of Detective Colbert. "Enough. I have to suit up and meet up with the handlers at the 2-5 and every one of you needs to be at the park in about forty minutes, so wrap up your business and get over there." His group split up and Nate made his way over to the hall that led down to the locker rooms, opening the door for the men's room.

He quickly stripped out of his suit and slipped into his black uniform, which would be scorching, even this late in September, and a heavy pair of black boots. He pulled on his vest, stab proof and bullet proof, and his belt before he pulled on and laced his boots tightly. He grabbed his empty pistol from his locker, checked it over and, after deeming it safe, grabbed his badge from the shelf and clipped to his belt.

He stepped out into the hall and across to the equipment room, where he got three magazines of ammunition, once that went into the pistol itself and the other two into the pouches on the utility belt. He safety tested the gun again and, after making sure it was on safety, he slid it into it's holster.

Fully kitted, he looked fierce and he smiled dangerously as he thought of all the ways he was the perfect hunter. An Apex predator. A wolf in sheep's clothing. He looked young. He spoke with an optimism and sincerity that he only sometimes truly felt, disillusioned after more than a hundred years of wandering. He was disarming. People trusted him on instinct.

They didn't know that, in the blink of an eye, he could rip their throats out and not have a care in the world.


	3. Chapter 3

The first time Julie called him when he moved to New York, Brad had only been slightly annoyed. He'd gotten as used to the idea of her and his best friend dating as best as he could and he desperately tried to ignore the twinge in his chest every time he thought about it. He'd been polite and business-like, explaining as patiently as possible that it wasn't any of their business that he'd moved out of town. His mom and his friends knew, and that's all that mattered.

The second time she'd called him in the city had been his first full day at the 4-9 and Brad received an indirect reprimand from his superior, which had colored the end of his conversation with her as he ended the call with a growled "No I will not come back for the wedding. Now leave me alone before I change my number!" He'd really wanted to add a few more choice words to that, but Ray and Walt were looking at him in annoyance. They needed to get going and Brad was holding them up.

He left his phone off after that.

The third time he answered with a growled "What?" as he slammed his locker door shut, now dressed in his street clothes. Family Day had been hell on earth as child after child approached him and asked thousands upon thousands of questions and he'd been forced to answer every one with a bright smile and a light voice, always aware of parents hovering over their children like vicious hawks ready to tear him limb from limb for saying or doing the wrong thing.

His famous cool exterior was melting in the face of his anger and exhaustion and he was glad that the locker room was already empty at this point, because if not, he'd be getting some weird looks. "Julie, this has to stop. You cannot call me like this. In fact, you shouldn't be calling me at all! I tried to be friends with you and Jake, but I've had enough. Lose this number. And leave me the fuck alone!" He snarled and stabbed the end call button in annoyance before turning off his phone and removing the SIM card.

He'd get the number changed in the morning.

Nate pulled the Ford Escape into the deserted parking lot at the head of the Kazimiroff nature trail and waited until Ray and Walt had gotten out before he popped the back hatch and turned the vehicle off, climbing out and then locking the door. One large duffel bag and and a cooler were pulled out by Ray, who promptly handed them off to Nate, before he shut the hatch and they made their way down the trail for a few hundred feet.

"I'm surprised the guard let us in. Hunter Island is supposed to be closed to the public at this hour." Walt said and Nate smiled. "The guard was a Shifter, Walt. I'm sure Ray will teach you to spot other Shifters and Weres after you've settled into your powers a bit more. This is only you're second full moon." Walt made an "Oh" sound in his chest and Ray smiled.

"Don't worry. I'm not that bad of a sponsor that I won't teach you the basics. No siree! I'll teach you everything Nate taught me. And then some." He added suggestively at the end, wriggling his eyebrows and pulling a half-startled, half-embarrassed giggle out of the younger man. Nate snorted. "Ray was an okay student and I was pleased to find out that at least half of what I was saying sunk into his brain through that steel-plate skull of his."

Ray made a mock outraged sound in his throat, bent down to grab a stick, and promptly flung it at Nate's head, hitting him square. Nate stopped in his tracks, set the cooler and duffel bag down on the ground and, faster than Walt could comprehend, there was a squelch down and, standing over the pile of clothes that Nate had once worn, was a large light gray wolf. He growled at Ray and dropped into a hunting crouch that Walt was sure Nate had ripped off from a cat because wolves did not do that. Ray made a startled sound and did the same, his form being replaced by a slightly smaller dark brown wolf. There a minute of tense silence before Nate-wolf barked and both shot off the trail and into the inner-forest, leaving Walt with the containers and their clothes.

He rolled his eyes but couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him. Sometimes the older supernaturals were just as bad as the younger ones, if not worse. He bundled up the clothes of the older men and stuffed them into the empty duffel bag before he gathered up that and the cooler. As he veered off the trail further into the inner-forest, he listened to the other two.

There was constant crashing punctuated by barking and baying before, to Walt's surprise, there was another squelch sound and a very satisfied roar, accompanied by an aggravated yelp. It sounded like Nate had shifted again into something that could easily catch Ray and to Ray, that was cheating. Walt finally entered the large clearing where they met for the full moon Run and was just in time to see a very smug looking tiger dragging in the wolf by the extra skin between his shoulders.

There was a soft brush in the back of his mind and he grabbed for it, recognizing it as one of the two before him trying to contact him. Weres and Shifters could not speak out loud, but more communicated by a sort of telepathy, a network of communication that only used their minds. You almost always had to ask permission before connecting with another supernatural and everyone could talk to everyone.

"_Will you please tell Tigger here to put me the fuck down! His teeth hurt! He's turning my neck into Swiss cheese!"_ Walt chuckled and, concentrating hard, he reached out into the void that surround his mind, brushing up against Nate's mind almost timidly. He was granted access immediately. "_Ray asks that you please 'put him the fuck down'. Something about teeth and cheese."_

The tiger made a sort of huffing sound that Walt would later swear was laughter and opened his jaws, allowing Ray to drop to the ground. The wolf scrabbled up and, after glaring at Nate for a minute, looked at Walt expectantly. Walt rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Fine fine." He said aloud and opened the duffel bag. Unlike the two older men, he stripped out of his clothes before shifting, hoping to keep them from damage.

Once he was ready, he dug deep and, with surprising ease, there was a squelch sound, and suddenly he was much lower to the ground than before. Nate had to look down, so far that his chin brushed the fur on his chest. "_I'll never get over the fact that you're a WereClouded-Leopard. I didn't even know that could happen."_ He heard Ray's voice and curled his lip in mock disdain, showing off long, razor sharp teeth. _"Now Ray. this isn't the weirdest thing I've ever seen. No, the weirdest is the Werefrog I met in 1956. now THAT was weird. A WereClouded-Leopard? Nothing Weird about that. I am assured of this._

That was Nate's ever-calm and reasonable voice and Walt gave a smirk the best he could, tail curling in delight and amusement.

"_Now gentlemen, let's get this show on the road. We don't have all night."_

Two days later, Nate was walking the squad floor, helping his men and directing traffic, so to speak. He was in uniform still, having had another press conference about the raid this morning and he hadn't bothered to slip back into a suit, actually much rather preferring his current attire.

"LT, lost looking woman at the door." Rudy said from his desk and then made a motion to come closer, so Nate did, leaning down to hear what the other man had to say. "She's a Were. I can smell her from here. Bear, if I'm not mistaken. Watch your back LT. Werebears are the crazy ones." Nate nodded his head in agreement. He'd heard stories about Werebears before. None of them pretty. "I'll take it under advisement. Thanks for the heads-up, Rudy." He said.

"No problem Brother." Nate straightened up and walked over to the door. "Ma'am, anything I can help you with? You look a little lost." He said pleasantly, trying not to raise suspicion. Using a trick Mike had taught him, he masked his mind and gently wormed his way into her's, listening in. She never felt him coming.

"_Oh god he's a shifter and he's an older one and I hope he doesn't ask for permission to enter my head because I can't hide my thoughts and I can't fight him he's too strong and I'll never win and he'll report me to the council for this and I'll never be heard from again and then the plan will fall apart and he'll be so disappointed in me-"_

Nate pulled back a little and just barely resisted the urge to growl. Her thoughts were jumbled with panic and he could smell the drugs on her and he wondered if she even knew she was high at that point. She didn't look it though, dressed immaculately in a pantsuit with her brunette hair done up fashionably.

"Is Brad Colbert here?" Nate blinked. Was this the mysterious girlfriend Colbert had been fighting with before? He steeled himself and dove back into her mind as he spoke. "I'm sorry, Miss-?" he trailed off questioningly. "Mrs. Logan. Forgive my lack of manners." Nate brushed it off. "Quite alright. But I'm afraid Detective Colbert is out on a call right now, and won't be back for some time. Perhaps I could take a message for you? Unless its of extreme importance, in which case I could call his cellphone for you."

She leaned forward to peer at his name tag. "Well...Lieutenant Fick, a message would be wonderful, so long as he gets it very soon." Nate nodded. "Of course. Give me a moment." He reached to his belt and pulled up the notepad and pen. "Go ahead." He looked at her with bright green eyes. "Just tell him Julie stopped by and I'll meet him at his house tonight, if he has the time, to discuss settling the property claims."

"_Please don't be in my head you can't know about the gun or the drugs. Why does he have Brad's number I bet this is the whore Brad left Oceanside for he left my bed for this piece of shit nonononono Brad is MINE you can't have him you son of a bitch I'll get him tonight he's mine and I'll take him back to California and he can stay at the cabin and Jake will make sure he behaves and I'll have him and no one else and-"_

Nate felt his chest constrict and this time the growl seeped out between clenched teeth despite his best efforts to keep himself quiet and he scurried to cover it up with a cough. This crazy ass bitch was going to try and kidnap someone in his Clan's territory?

Not gonna happen. Not on his watch. He may not know Colbert very well, but nothing excused a Were using her powers for revenge. If he had anything to say about this, this woman wouldn't get her hands on anything but a death warrant.


	4. Chapter 4

Once the woman, Julie, had left, Nate strode over to Rudy, face drawn and grim. "Alert the others. Emergency meeting in the parade room, one hour. Call Ray and Walt in and send someone else to handle the Douglas case with Colbert." Rudy looked like he wanted to ask more but Nate's face said everything.

Shit was about to hit the fan.

Rudy nodded and Nate turned on his heels and made for the stairs, bounding up them two at a time and fast-walking until he was standing in front of Captain Wynn's office. "Mike!" He called, hoping to be heard over the country music filtering in from the computer speakers on his desk. Wynn looked up and motioned for Nate to come in.

Once Nate was inside he motioned for Wynn to keep the music slightly up. "You look like someone just stole your service weapon Nate. What's going on?" He asked and Nate came to sit in front of the desk. "I was just downstairs with a Werebear by the name of Julie Logan. She was looking for Detective Colbert. I smelled drugs on her, but she didn't act high, so I used the trick you taught me and I entered her mind. Her thoughts were going about a thousand miles an hour and I managed to catch a brief glimpse of some very bad sh-stuff coming our way."

Wynn made a motion for him to continue and Nate took a deep breath. "She's the ex-girlfriend of Detective Colbert and she was thinking something about a Jake and how Colbert left California for some piece of ass and she thought it was me. So I told her that he was out on a case and I could take a message. She wants to meet him at his house after dark to discuss something about property claims but at the same time she was thinking that she'd take him back to California and this Jake person could make Colbert behave and there was even something about a gun and drugs."

Wynn was rubbing a hand across his face. "Nate, deep breath. That's too much at once, even for me. Say real clear and slow, what you think is going to happen." He coached. Nate did as he was bade and took a few minutes to center himself. His inner self had taken control for a minute in his sudden rush of anger. "Julie Logan is a Werebear and Detective Colbert's Ex-girlfriend. She's with someone named Jake, but still wants Colbert, and thinks he left California for another person. She was drugged, but only her thoughts showed it and drugs and a gun were mentioned. She's going to meet Colbert at his house tonight and I feel that, once inside she will incapacitate and abduct Colbert by any means necessary."

"Nate these are very serious accusations. Do you want to bring this before the Council?" Nate shook his head. "No. Maybe if a few of us watch the house for a few nights, she'll think he's under protection and leave or we can get proof of what she intends. I've read his file, he lives in the middle of nowhere with no neighbors. Nobody would think twice about a few stray dogs and a cat or two. We can use Rudy, Walt and Detective Cass to cover the approach and the rest of us will the flank the house."

Wynn nodded. "Say I approve this and she comes to the house and tries something anyway. How are you going to rescue Colbert and subdue a bear?" Wynn asked, feeling out the entire mission. "Should she actually get in the house and make a move for Colbert, then all bets are off. The Council ruled that if a supernatural sees a crime being committed, then they have permission to engage full force, no matter the risk, to protect a human life. Chances are Colbert would be down and out by that point anyway." He felt kind of callous saying that, but it was true.

Wynn seemed to think about it for a minute before he nodded. "Alright. Gather who you want, I'll join you guys as well." Nate nodded. "We'll be in the parade room in forty-five minutes."

Nate waited until everyone had settled into seats before he addressed the room at large. "Alright. I know none of you were expecting a meeting so close to the Run, but something has come up." The room was silent and Nate continued. "I met a Werebear today who I believe to have plans to kidnap a human in this precinct and who also seems to have connections with drugs. Has anyone heard the name Julie Logan before? Or perhaps Jake Logan?" He asked. Ray's hand went up.

"Yes Ray?" He asked. "Brad has been bitching about his ex, Julie since day one, Apparently she wouldn't stop calling him, so he had to switch his cell number and then she wouldn't stop e-mailing him, so he had to switch that too. She wanted him to go to California for the wedding. You know the bitch of it? That disease-riddled ho-bag is marrying his best friend, Jake Logan." The room fell silent.

"You don't think the wedding invitation was a trick to get him to California, where they could catch him more easily and when he repeatedly turned down the invitation, she had to come here?" That was Lieutenant Eric Kocher of the 5-2, a Shifter and Nate's direct partner in running the Clan under Mike. "It makes sense. If Colbert had gotten on a plane willingly to California and just "decided" to stay, no-one would have said a word. Its more difficult for them now because they're going to try and take him from his home." Rudy chimed in and Nate was nodding slowly.

"She told me she was here to settle "property claims". What if he suddenly came into some money and a new house in California and he left? That must be their new cover for his disappearance. If one of us suddenly hit it rich and we had to move out of the state, the only thing the others would have done was curse him and demand to be allowed to visit whenever be wanted to." Slowly it was all falling into place and the others were beginning to bristle.

"He's just a human. He's not Tied to her that we can see. What does she want with him?" Nate shrugged and subsided for a minute. "Right now, our biggest concern is keeping Colbert out of her hands and here in New York until we can gather enough evidence to bring forth to the Council. Right now, all we have is supposition and circumstantial evidence that would never hold up. Ideally, she'd let one of us in willingly and we could hear what she was thinking, making it admissible evidence or she could leave a trail or even if she made a failed attempt on Colbert. I would prefer the last one never happened though." Wynn spoke up and they all nodded.

"This is your mission, LT. Tell them what they'll be up to." Nate nodded and reached for a planning board behind him that held a sketch of a house and the surrounding area. "Colbert lives in the middle of nowhere. Perfect for kidnapping attempts, because there's no nosy neighbors, which means we have a lot of area to cover. Our best bet is to have Cass, Reyes, Hasser and one of the shifters take on their forms, the shifter can take on whatever form they're most comfortable with, and set up a perimeter within an eighth of mile of the house. The rest of the shifters will take on the form of dogs and cats, preferably more dogs."

He received odd looks and allowed himself a brief smile. "No one is going to pay attention to a pack of stray dogs interested in a house in the middle of nowhere and cats like those kinds of places because of the copious amounts of mice. We're going for inconspicuous, so cats, dogs, hell if someone wants to be a deer, or some other adorable woodland creature, I won't stop you. But let's go with things that fit in with the scenery." He stopped and took a deep breath.

"We're going to be doing this for a few nights, so significant others need to be informed. Complaints can be directed to me, because I'm dragging you all out to do this. Are there any questions?" There was nothing but silence in the room and Nate couldn't quite gauge their reactions, but he hoped he hadn't stepped on too many toes with this assignment.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: For anyone who wants the original, more rapidly (almost every other day) updated version of this story, you can find it over at AO3, under the title "The World Unknown", author IceTalon**. **I recomend that version, because this one is probably coming down soon, or, if it stays up, there's no guarantee it will get the same frequency of updates that one gets.**

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><p>When Brad pulled his bike into his driveway that night, he had to stop and blink. Curled up on his porch was black and brown ball of fluff. It didn't move even as Brad stalked forward, backpack slung over his shoulder.<p>

"Hey." He said, loudly, and he watched as a small head became visible, bright green eyes looking at him. Brad cursed. It was just a little puppy. It was probably cold and hungry and terrified. Brad would never admit that he held a soft spot of dogs, having been the rescuer of many when he was young, despite his parents half-hearted at best protest.

"You can't sleep there." He said sternly, though his heart wasn't really in it. The puppy stood up and Brad winced. The puppy's right paw was bleeding from where Brad could only guess he'd stepped on something sharp. "Jesus, dog. What did you do to yourself?" He asked heavily. He could already see where this was going.

The puppy gave him a pitiful look, only amplified by watery green eyes, and whimpered, paw close to his chest. Brad sighed again and stalked towards the porch, trying to look menacing. "You know, I don't like trespassers. Especially when they bleed all over my porch." He had to get this puppy away or he was going to end up keeping it.

The puppy whimpered again before making a crying noise in his chest and Brad's heart clenched. Oh who was he kidding? He leaned down and scooped the puppy up into his arms, looking at him balefully. "Fine. You can come in for tonight only. If Person ever finds out I rescue stray dogs I'll never hear the end of it from his whiskey tango inbred ass."

The puppy yipped quietly, seemingly out of energy for more than laying against Brad's chest and the man sighed, juggling his keys, his bag and the puppy so he could get inside. Once in his house he toed off his boots and flipped the lights on, locking the door behind him. What was he going to do with a puppy?

He leaned down and brushed his nose against the puppy's head and pulled back, wrinkling his nose and furrowing his brow.

"You smell. What did you do, lay in a puddle of motor oil and cowshit? You need a bath, especially if you think you're sleeping in this house."

The puppy glared at him, but the effect was ruined by floppy ears and the overall cuteness that generally accompanied puppies.

He and the puppy made their way up the stairs and into the bathroom, where Brad deposited the bundle of fluff on the floor before leaning over to turn on the water. Once he was sure the water wasn't too hot or cold, he placed the stop in the drain and then set the puppy inside, watching with a smirk at the amazement the puppy seemed to hold for the running water.

"What, never been in a tub before." He didn't even get a look in response and, sensing he was being ignored, he went over to the cabinet. He knew for a fact that he had some Johnson and Johnson No Tears shampoo leftover from California that would be perfect for cleaning a puppy without hurting a cut. Finding the bottle he grabbed it out and turned around.

The water was about four inches off the bottom and the puppy was sitting down, looking at him while he held his bad paw above the water. Brad shut the tap off and, knowing he would get wet, he shucked his shirt off before kneeling down. "You're lucky I have this stuff. I used to use it when I lived in California, when I got sun-burnt after surfing all day and forgetting to put sunscreen on. At least you won't smell like Irish Spring. I don't think that would go over well for a puppy. The others would probably make fun of you."

The puppy was giving him a _look_, and Brad laughed despite himself. "Fine fine. Let's get this over with."

he used his hands to wet the puppy down then scrubbed him all over before rinsing him down. He pulled the stop and grabbed a towel out of the linen closet, along with a hairdryer he kept for warming his clothes. "I'll dry you off and bandage your paw and we'll see where we go from there." The puppy just looked at him, eyes wide.

He toweled off the dog and then plugged the blow-dryer in, which he worked all over until he was fluffy, warm and dry. He brought the puppy down into the kitchen and deposited him on the table. "Do not move. If you fall off the table, I have no guarantee you won't have a pug face when you get up." He snickered quietly at the angry chuff he received and made his way to the hall closet, where he pulled down a medium black duffel bag.

One thing he'd learned while living in Oceanside was to always have a fully stocked first-aid kit within easy reach. Brad was a certified first responder, something he'd gotten licensed for in high school, and therefor had access to more medical materials than most people. He returned to the kitchen and put the bag on the island.

"Peroxide, gauze, stitch kit, Lidocaine, cotton fluff and roller bandages. Should work." he moved his supplies to the table and then froze. Brad Colbert, the Iceman, unafraid of anything and everything, froze in horror. The puppy had dropped to his stomach and was whimpering quietly, gaze averted.

What the hell?

Brad put his supplies on the table and stepped forward couching down so he was eye level. The puppy closed his eyes and tried to move away, but yipped in pain as his bad paw made contact with table.

Brad didn't have any clue what to do.

It was Wynn's idea to have someone inside the house with Brad and Nate had been unanimously chosen within ten seconds of the idea leaving his mouth. Nate had agreed and, after thinking for a minute, chose the form of a young German Sheppard puppy, hoping that Colbert didn't growl at small animals on sight. Shortly thereafter, the others had taken up position and nate began to toddle towards the house.

He hadn't bet on slicing his paw on a broken bottle.

He ahd just strangled back a yelp of pain before limping the rest of the way and slumping on the porch of the man he was trying to protect. He licked his paws furiously until his felt the bleeding slow some of the way down and then curled up to wait.

He heard the bike before he saw it round the corner and pull up the gravel drive and Colbert got off, staring at him in mute surprise. He looked up and put on his best woebegone look at as Colbert called out sharply at him and he watched with amazement as the man's eyes softened, but he kept the stern glare.

"You can't sleep here."

Nate stood up on three wobbly puppy legs and Brad flinched and Nate's attention was again drawn to his injured paw. It hurt.

"Jesus dog. What did you do to yourself?" Nate whimpered and and put on his best injured-puppy act, eyes watery and hopeful. If Brad let him in, then the plan worked, injured paw or not. He watched closely as he stalked forward, trying to look menacing. Not working with him. He could see the need to scoop him up in his arms from a mile away.

"You know, I don't like trespassers/ Especially ones who bleed on my porch." Nate was rolling his eyes internally, wondering how this man had ever appeared intimadating to anyone in his life. Nate could see Brad's walls crumbling


	6. Chapter 6

Brad dropped what was in his hands and knelt down so he was eye level with the puppy, who backpedaled further until his hind legs scrabbled against the narrow edge of the table, leaving him with nowhere to go.

"Hey. What's the matter with you?" He asked. They'd been doing so well up until Brad had brought the supplies over to the table and had turned around with the Lidocaine shot. Oh. He cursed himself as it dawned on him. Reaching behind him he picked up the syringe and brought it forth, which elicited another whimper from the puppy.

"I see. Not a fan of needles then, are you? Well your paw doesn't need the stitches. They were just a precaution. We'll just bandage you up then instead, yeah?" He put the syringe back on the counter and brought the Peroxide and a hand towel over instead.

The puppy watched him for a minute and Brad watched him back before the ball of fluff stood up and limped over. Brad smiled brilliantly and stood up before seating himself on the table and situating the puppy in his lap. "Now, if you sit still and don't fight me, we'll have this finished in no time and we can eat." The puppy looked at him placidly and Brad knew it was the best he was gonna get out of him.

He opened the bottle of Peroxide and dampened the cloth before grabbing up the injured paw. He held the cloth to the wound and the puppy flinched back, whimpering quietly. "Shhh shhhh. I know it stings, but just give it a minute." He soothed him and ran his free hand over the puppy's fluffy fur. The puppy quieted after a minute and Brad pulled the clothe away.

"See, not so bad, right?" He asked. He used a gauze pad to dry the area and then grabbed up the cotton fluff, which he threaded between the toes of his paw. He pressed a few pads against the wound and then wrapped the roller bandages around the paw and halfway up his leg, which he taped down. "Let's see if there's any Coban, so that bandage will stay in place." He went back over to the bag and dug around until he pulled out a plastic package of green gauze-like material.

He ripped it open with his teeth and, after a bit of finagling, he got the wrap started and finished his bandage job. "There you go. All done. Let's test it out." He picked the puppy up underneath his front legs and set him on the ground. The puppy seemed unsure and limped the first few steps before he gingerly set it down on the ground and took a cautious step forward, followed by another as he got more confident.

Content to leave the puppy for a minute and clean up his mess, Brad put the garbage in the bin, the leftovers back in the bag and the cloth was thrown in the sink. He zipped up the duffel bag and returned it to its spot in the closet. When he returned to the kitchen he couldn't help but smile warmly.

The puppy had found the folded bath towels Brad had left in the open pantry's bottom shelf and had tugged them into the corner of the room, where he'd made a little nest. Brad almost wished he could keep him, but with hours he kept at the station, he'd never be able to give it the care and attention it deserved.

"Hey, don't you want to eat first? Maybe drink something?" The puppy blinked stunning green eyes at him and yawned widely, dropping his head back down on the towel bed. Brad smirked. "I see. You're bored of me aren't you?" The puppy's head came up to level him with a placid look and he whuffled at him. "Ah. Alright then. I'll just leave some stuff out then and you can help yourself. Tomorrow, I''ll take you to the No-Kill shelter a few miles from here. They'll take care of you and you'll be adopted out in no time." The puppy gave him a staid look through half-lidded eyes before closing them the rest of the way.

Brad went over to the fridge and pulled out the milk he had in there and some leftover chicken he had no intention of eating any time soon and shut the door with his foot. He dumped the milk in a saucepan and set it to warm while he dug through his cupboards for the small sack of cornmeal he kept there. He diced the chicken and dropped it in with the milk to warm before he grabbed down a bowl.

Once the milk was steaming he poured it and the chicken into the bowl and then mixed in the cornmeal until it was the consistency of oatmeal. "I used to make this when I rescued other puppies, when I was younger. I tried it once and it tastes good, even cold." He said aloud as he turned around.

But it wasn't necessary. The puppy was already sprawled on his side, snoring quietly and Brad smiled. He put the bowl down on the ground a few feet away and left the kitchen, turning the lights out after him as he made his way to bed.

The first gray tendrils of dawn were just creeping through the windows of the farmhouse kitchen and Nate hefted himself up. He limped his way over to the door and changed back brown and black fur receding, only to be replaced by smooth, tan skin. He grabbed a towel from the pile he'd spent the night on and wrapped it around his waist.

The back door wasn't locked and he crept outside to the clothes line, where hung the towel up on the wire and transformed into his preferred form, a large light gray wolf. The bandage on his wound had unraveled when he first transformed back into a human and he made sure to walk carefully, keeping the paw off the ground. He flitted into the undergrowth and made it a quarter mile before there was a soft brush at the back of his mind.

"_Doc Bryan wants a look at you when you get back. We're in a clearing about half a mile from where you are."_

"_Roger that, Gunny. On my way."_ He said, continuing on his way without stopping.

About ten minutes later he weaved his way into a clearing where everyone else was in varying states of dress, some already completely clothed and others missing socks or shirts or other articles of clothing. A gruff looking man with a mustache was waiting for him with a change of clothes and a blue medical bag by his feet.

Nate morphed back and accepted the clothes, which he hastily pulled on in the early morning chill. "What did the perimeter look like while I was inside?" He asked looking over at the rest of the men.

"Mostly quiet. Rudy and Walt heard branches breaking to the east at around midnight and went to check it out, and they swear they smelt the disease-riddled bitch there, but there was no sign that would point to her definitively." Ray reported and Nate groaned.

"We think she sensed all the Weres and Shifters in the area and figured it was a lost cause. For tonight, anyway." Rudy guessed and Nate shrugged his shoulders, unsure of whether or not that was the case.

The gruff looking man had situated a headlamp on his forehead and was switching it to LED when he approached Nate and took his hand. "Glass? Or something else?"Nate shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. I cut it right before I made it to Colbert's porch and I could hear him coming up the drive so I just took up a spot. He cleaned and bandaged it while I was there." The doctor was looking the wound over with intense eyes.

"This needs stitches. Didn't he have the things to stitch the wound closed?" Nate tensed and almost growled, pulling away from him, trying to back up a few paces, but he was blocked by a wall of muscle.

"Nate, my brother, you still have that Trypanophobia? You and I really should have a talk about that." Rudy said with concern, hands braced on Nate's shoulders as he steadied him. "Come on. Sit down and you and I'll meditate while the good doctor patches you up." He led Nate over and they both took a seat on a boulder.

Rudy led a quiet chant for a few minutes and, before Nate knew it, his hand was stitched up and wrapped in gauze half way up his arm. "See brother. Meditation is all it takes." Nate smiled good-naturedly and behind him Ray broke into peals of laughter.

"Rudy that is the most Grade-A Special Ed load of horseshit that I've ever heard. And I've been around for more than seventy-five years!" He cackled. Rudy cuffed him around the ears fondly and everyone finished getting ready to leave. Nate pulled on his shoes and looked up as Wynn made his way over.

"I think we had too many people in one place. She needs to think he's under protection, not full-time watch. If we leave Rudy, Jamie, Walt and another on a far perimeter patrol, I can handle an inside watch. Keep it quiet and fast, pass the house at set intervals, we'll look like a protection detail, not an army. We make the pattern predictable enough, she might try something. We can keep a team on standby somewhere nearby where they can rest, but still be ready to move at a moment's notice."

Wynn nodded his head. "Its a solid plan, Nate and I'm sure everyone will agree. They've really taken a shine to Colbert. And you know the older ones hate to see the Old Ways trampled on in this manner. You're young Nate, even at a hundred and thirty-five years old, but even you know what kind of pressure we're under to keep people from abusing their powers. No one wants to see Colbert taken against his will. And they'll fight to keep him here."


	7. Chapter 7

The first night Brad saw the wolf making circles around his house, he chalked it up to an illusion brought on by endless hours at the station, very little sleep and extreme amounts of caffeine in the form of the burnt coffee they served at the station house. He did lock all his windows that night though, paranoia slipping through his usual facade of cool calmness.

"Colbert, you look tired. Not been getting enough sleep, have you?" He looked up at the warm and friendly voice of the man standing behind him, trying to force his usual smirk to his face, but failing miserably. "Sleeping just fine, LT." He shot back, signing off on another of Walt's field reports and setting it on top of the ever-growing pile by his elbow.

"Stay sharp, Colbert. Babysitting Person is a full-time job." Ray squawked indignantly from his spot behind his own desk, flipping Nate the bird in a dramatic fashion, causing Walt to bury his face in his hands in embarrassment at his partner's behavior. Nate laughed and patted Brad on the shoulder.

"The real reason I'm down here, I confess, is not to stalk your sleeping habits. Captain Wynn wants to see you in his office." He said, stepping back so Brad could leave his chair and follow him up the stairs to the upper level. Nate left him outside the Captain's office with a smirk of his own and a wink before he descended the steps again and moved his way onto the squad floor, calling everybody for Parade.

Brad knocked on the wooden door before him, two sharp raps before taking a step back. There was the sound of shuffling papers within and a minute later the music that had filled the background minutes ago was muted. "Come in!" He heard and he opened the door.

"You wanted to see me, Captain?" He asked. Wynn chuckled and gestured to the seat in front of him.

"Call me Gunny, Detective Colbert. Nobody calls me Captain unless the Brass are around. Have a seat." He said warmly, and Brad did, sinking into the plush seat with a sigh. So much more comfortable than his desk chair.

"So how are you settling in, Brad? You like it here?" He asked. Brad gave him a confused looked for a minute before he nodded.

"Good, sir. I like it here. Why?" He asked, looking at Wynn with a more pronounced look of confusion

"I don't know how they did it out in Oceanside, Detective Colbert, but here in New York, we take care of each other. If you're not happy, then I need to know so I can try to fix it. The 4-9 works the most dangerous part of The Bronx. Detectives and officers who run themselves into the ground trying to please me and the brass make stupid mistakes that get them injured or killed. Unhappy detectives and officers are more likely to be lazy and let innocent people be hurt."

Brad nodded. His CO in Oceanside had rarely checked on the well-being of the men in the precinct and he'd seen plenty of examples of what the Captain was talking about at the minute.

"Lieutenant Fick has brought to my attention you work schedule over the last month since you arrived. You've worked more night shifts and overtime in a squad car then most of my men here work in three times that. You need to slow it down a little before you burn out."

Brad felt like a child being scolded for having been caught with his hand in the cookie jar and he nodded, grudgingly admitting the Captain did have a point.

"After today, I want you to take two days off, paid vacation. Go camping, laze about on your couch, have sex with anything that has legs. I don't care. But I best not see you in here until Thursday, understood Detective Colbert?" Brad nodded his head and Wynn smiled.

"Good, then you can head back downstairs. You might be able to catch the end of Parade with the rest of them before you head out for the day." Brad nodded, bid farewell and left the office to finish his work for the day before he started his vacation.

The second night Brad saw the wolf loping around his house, he called animal control and told them there was a very large coyote around his house. The next day a woman, tall and burly, carrying a tranquilizer gun and one of the supposed "humane" traps arrived at his house at mid-afternoon.

"Name's Daisy." She said, in a surprisingly feminine voice in complete contrast to her body, and held out her hand, which Brad shook. "Hear you been having some coyote problems, Mr. Colbert." She said.

"I have." He confirmed. "I've seen it a few times now. He sits down by my porch and walks around the house. I just want to have it relocated somewhere else. My neighbor hasn't seen it yet, but he has cats that could get hurt." He reasoned, though it was a lie. His nearest neighbor was over half a mile away and he was pretty sure they didn't have cats.

"Not a problem Mr. Colbert. Why don't you show me where it likes to sit near your porch and we'll put this trap down." She said. Brad led her around the farmhouse to the back porch and pointed to a patch of tall grass that was trampled down all around and she nodded, seemingly pleased.

"The grass will make it easier to hide." She explained her expression and knelt down. She situated the trap and set it before standing up.

"Are you sure that won't hurt it?" He asked, his reservations about setting such a barbaric contraption for his nocturnal visitor showing. Daisy smiled in understanding and went to the tree-line, shuffling around in the undergrowth for a minute before returning with a stick, which Brad guessed was roughly the size of a full grown coyote's leg.

She knelt down by the trap and pushed the stick down on the trigger and the trap sprang shut around it with a harsh metallic sound. She opened the trap again and reset it, holding the untouched stick up for Brad to see. "The padded plastic is small enough to hold the animal but not hurt it unduly."

Brad nodded, worries assuaged for a minute and Daisy stood, shifting the tranquilizer gun on her back. "With you permission, I'll follow the tracks he left and see if I can't spot his den. Maybe you won't have to use the trap at all."

"Go ahead. I'll be in the house or the garage if you need anything. Feel free to use the house's bathroom if you need to." He said, trying to play the good host. Daisy said her thanks and disappeared into the woods, leaving Brad alone again in his yard.

That night, Brad made his dinner with an air of apprehension he'd carried only once before, when he was ten and he had been forced into a solo for music class for the spring concert at his school.

Something just felt _wrong._

After a dinner that went down dry and almost tasteless he grabbed a beer from the fridge and slumped into his recliner, turning on the baseball game. His mind wandered as the night went on. His life certainly had taken a turn for the strange since he'd arrived here.

He couldn't help but feel bad about the puppy he'd rescued that had disappeared the next morning, the only sign he'd ever been there the half-eaten bowl of cornmeal mush and a mound of towels with a puppy-sized impression.

As the night wore on, Brad dozed in his chair, beer bottle forgotten on the table, TV announcing the win of the Tigers to a silent audience.

Brad was awoken later by a shrill yelp.

He jolted upright in his chair and scrabbled to his feet, usual icy calm replaced with something terribly close to fear adrenaline suffusing his system so fast he almost shook with it. He pulled on his boots and grabbed his service weapon and the house phone, stomping to the back door.

What he saw brought him up short and he dropped the phone in shock, service weapon hanging loosely from his other hand as he stared uncomprehendingly at the sight before him, chest constricting. The trap had been set off alright, and it had worked, trapping its prey in its steel grasp. But it wasn't the coyote he'd seen.

Knelt in the patch of tall grass, naked as the day he was born, whining and whimpering as he struggled against the trap that held him captive, was Lieutenant Nate Fick.


	8. Chapter 8

For the first time in a long time, Brad was helpless. And clueless. He stood on the porch for a split second longer before, without really thinking about it, he stepped down and made his way over to Nate.

He wasn't expecting that snarl that ripped from Nate's chest, an animal sound of fear, pain and anger rolled all in one. His green eyes were bright and glassy, staring at him like knives and he tried to back up further, but the trap, meant to hold only a coyote's leg, had his much larger arm in a steel lock that wasn't going to let up anytime soon.

Then, it hit Brad like a freight train.

Nate didn't recognize him. It was the only way to explain his violent reaction to Brad's presence getting closer to him. Brad stopped in his tracks and stared at the sight before, truly having no idea how he was going to handle this. Nate seemed to settle a little when he stopped advancing and he went back to trying to free himself from the trap. Brad took this momentary lull to take in his new dilemma.

One, it was the middle of the night and his, very human, police lieutenant was naked in his yard, stuck in an animal trap. Two, Nate didn't recognize him, which would make freeing the other man that much more difficult. Three, Nate didn't seem to being thinking very straight. Or thinking at all for the matter. He was pawing uselessly at the spring of the trap, growls of frustration and pain leaking out between clenched teeth.

First things first. He needed to get Nate loose so he could get him medical help.

He crouched down to a much lower level and, hoping he didn't sound utterly ridiculous, began talking to the other man in a low, soothing voice.

"Nate? Nate it's me. Detective Colbert. You, uh- you seem to be stuck in a trap I had set for a coyote on my property." He could tell he wasn't having a very calming effect on Nate, because the other man still and tensed, growling quietly as he looked down and to Brad's left side. Brad followed his gaze and understood.

It was his service weapon.

Carefully, he brought it up, wincing at the frightened snarl it pulled from the other man, and discharged the magazine and emptied the chamber, tossing it all to the side and out of view in the tall grass. This seemed to assuage Nate's primal fear for a minute. He tried talking to the other man again, creeping ever closer.

"I really need to help you out of that trap. Your arm's gonna get all mangled if you keep it in there. I promise I won't hurt you. I never meant to hurt you." He said, voice low and comforting. Nate seemed to respond to this, because his snarling tapered off into whining. Brad crept the last few inches until he was kneeling in front of the trap doing his best not to spook Nate.

Brad looked at his colleague's trapped limb and winced. He may not have been a doctor, but it didn't take some pretentious asshole with eight years of schooling to tell him that Nate's arm was broken all the way through and he would need weeks in a cast before his arm was even remotely functional again. Cautiously he reached his hands out and placed them on the trigger release for the trap.

Nate tensed, but didn't move, which made his job slightly easier and he pushed down until the jaws snapped open, effectively freeing the other man. What he wasn't expecting was the hard ball of fur and anger that bowled into him from the side and he was knocked clear sideways, skidding a few feet from where Nate still crouched. In the place where he'd once crouch, standing over Nate protectively was a dark brown wolf, snarling ferociously at him.

Nate, seemingly regaining his mind or maybe by instinct, dug his good hand in the wolf's thick ruff, tugging gently. This move seemed to get its attention because it turned sharp golden eyes to Nate before nodding once, sharply, and nudging Nate to his feet. Nate shook with pain and what Brad could almost be sure was exhaustion and both man and wolf turned around, limping into the underbrush.

Brad remained flat on the ground as the full moon glinted off the gathering dew around him, unsure if he'd really seen what he thought he'd just seen or if, after leaving his home of ten years, he'd finally lost his mind completely.

Nate didn't show up for work until Saturday afternoon, arm wrapped in a heavy, blue and much doodled upon, plaster cast, supported by a black sling that clashed with his white button down shirt. He was immediately set upon by several officers and detectives, who asked him question after question until Nate backed them off gently.

"What did you do, LT?" Jamie Cass asked, looking at the other man with concerned brown eyes. Nate rolled his eyes good-naturedly and sat on the corner of Walt's desk, which the younger man had cleaned of for him to rest on. Nate nodded his thanks to Walt before he began speaking.

"First of all, calm down. It's not like I was hit by a car or anything even remotely like that. I was at my sister's house and her daughter's cat climbed up a tree and couldn't get down. I climbed up to get it and I lost my footing. Simple as that. The police surgeon told me to take a few days off so I could rest up before having to come back here and deal with your rowdy asses with only one arm." He received a few jabs for that, but the tale seemed to calm some of the tension on the squad floor.

"Well it's good to have you back, LT. We thought Gunny was going to have kittens when he heard about the accident and Walt spent most of Wednesday looking like somebody shot his puppy." Ray could be heard clear across the room and Nate rolled his eyes at the younger man, smiling at Walt's blush and patting the younger man on the shoulder.

"Alright that's enough. Let the LT alone for a little bit." Was heard from the stairs and Nate looked over to see Sergeant Rudy Reyes descending the steps with a grin as he made his way over. He wrapped Nate in a tight hug, mindful of his injured arm and patted him strongly on the back. "Gunny wants to see you when he get's back from his meeting later. My brother, you are in all kinds of trouble." He said warmly, to which Nate rolled his eyes.

The others had already drifted off again to resume their work when Brad approached the other man, unsure if he was going to get another snarl in response or if Nate was back to being the cool, calm and in-charge lieutenant the precinct had fallen in love with.

"Lieutenant Fick?" He asked and the man in question turned around, flashing him a smile. But his eyes said something else. They were sharp and and nervous and he shifted his weight almost imperceptibly.

"Glad to see you're safe, Lieutenant." He said, instead of one of the million questions that were burning on the tip of his tongue.

The squad floor was devoid of life save for Brad himself, working in the dark by the light of his desk lamp, fussing over a last minute report for the case he'd closed today. The only other light on was the light from an office on the upper level and from the angle he couldn't tell if it was the Captain's or the Lieutenant's office that was lit up.

Finishing the report with a heavy sigh, he signed and stapled it together and stood from his chair and began to climb the stairs. From this angle he could tell it was the Lieutenant's office that was lit up and he sighed in relief, He needed to drop this off and head home before he fell over from exhaustion. He stepped to the door and was about to knock and ask entrance when he heard an odd noise coming from inside.

Sniffing.

What the hell?

As surreptitiously as possible he leaned over and peered into the window that bracketed the door and gaped. Wynn had Nate backed up against the desk, the office chair pushed back and away. Wynn had Nate pinned to the desk by his wrist and waist, his nose drawing paths over his neck, shoulders, chest and face, his face dark and the oddest growling sound escaping his chest.

Brad stumbled back, fearing he had stumbled upon something he wasn't meant to see and was about to high-tail it to steps to get away when he heard Nate's voice, calming and patient.

"I'm fine, Mike. No other injuries besides my arm. You can stop checking now." He said patiently. Brad, after fighting himself for a minute, reinstated his gaze through the window in time to see Wynn reach a hand back and grab Nate's scruff firmly, giving two rough shakes before Nate bowed his head in his grasp, submitting to the man before him's authority over him.

"We nearly lost you, Nate. Your carelessness got you injured, outed and almost killed!" The snarl that was Wynn's voice seemed to startle Nate, because the younger man froze for a minute before leaning forward and nudging his nose against Wynn's jaw, a tiny whimpering sound escaping his throat.

This act of submission seemed to calm Wynn, if only a little and he looked at Nate sharply. "I did not save your skinny ass from a Swedish blizzard, just to lose you half a century later to some human!" Nate retained a submissive stance and Wynn calmed further.

"Do you have any idea how upset the Clan was when Ray told us he'd dropped you off at Doc Bryan's place because you'd been caught in an animal trap? Walt fainted! Pappy had to keep Rudy from going to Colbert's house and wringing his neck! Or worse, shifting and eating his face, which Poke was only too willing to help with." Nate blinked wide green eyes at the older man and felt guilt. He'd caused so much trouble for his Clan.

Wynn softened and released the pin he'd restrained Nate with, instead gathering him up in a fatherly hug. "Jesus Nate you scared the shit out of all of us. Forget Colbert. We'll deal with him later. You need to have a talk with Walt and Rudy and all the others. And elder Shasta wants a word with you as well." Nate paled and Wynn chuckled, patting his back. "Don't worry. I won't let her eat you. Or feed her to her pride of mini-lions, as Ray so lovingly refers to her pet cats."

Outside the office, Brad stood in stunned silence. Not only at the scene he's just witnessed but at the fact that his suspicions had been confirmed and he wasn't crazy.

He had caught that coyote before. Except, it wasn't a coyote at all. It had been Nate.

And Nate wasn't a human at all.


	9. Chapter 9

Nate pulled the Escape to a stop in front of the ranch-style house in Camp Hill, a peaceful hamlet in the southern part of Haverstraw. He took a deep breath, turned off the SUV and climbed out, making his way steadily up the walkway to the house. He knocked loudly and stepped back so the door could swing open, revealing a smiling young man.

"Nathaniel! So good to see you again." He said warmly, pulling the other man into a warm hug, being mindful of the injured arm Nate still had. He let him go and took a step back. "Come in come in. Elder Shasta is waiting for you on the back porch."

"Alright. And it's good to see you as well, Allan. Gray Warren hasn't been the same since you left last year." He smiled and followed Allan through the house, making sure not to track dust on the rugs. Cats swarmed him and twined their bodies through the space between his legs, purring at him thunderously. Allan held a wide set of double doors open for him, which led to the porch outside.

"I'll bring the coffee around shortly." Allan said, like the good host he'd always been and Nate nodded and went through the doors. Lounging on a soft looking couch, looking deceptively young for her centuries on this earth, was Elder Shasta. She looked hardly older than thirty-five at the most, with flowing blonde hair and sharp, mischievous green eyes and a smile that never seemed to stop.

"Nathaniel!" She crowed, leaving the chair to wrap him in a nearly bone-crushing hug, moving his injured arm out of the way so she could give him one of the full-force greetings she was known for. "Look at you! You've actually gotten bigger since the last time I saw you, you damned shrimp!" She said teasingly.

"Elder Shasta! I'm supposed to bow when I get here! Not have my ribs broken by your hugs!" He said nervously. Elder Shasta pulled back with a snort and she flicked her hair out of the way so she could level him with the full power of a deadpan stare. Conscious that, despite her appearance and behavior, he was still talking to the head of the New York State Council, he bowed his head, wary he'd taken a sharp tone of voice with her.

"Nathaniel, do us all a favor and remove the stick from up your ass. Please?" A voice said from the doorway and both Nate and Shasta turned to look, Shasta's face lighting up.

"Husband!" She shouted enthusiastically through her giggles at his joke and she flitted over to the door to embrace their visitor. He was tall, tan and smiling roguishly, winking at Nate in a friendly manner as he wrapped his arm around Shasta's waist and leaned down to peck her on the cheek.

"Look kid, I know you grew up when you were supposed to show nothing but the utmost respect to your elders and all, but so did I and even I know Shasta hates being treated like an Elder outside of chambers. So calm down and join us in the sitting room. Allan's got the coffee all finished up and ready."

Nate nodded. "Sure thing, Josh." He answered and followed the pair inside. Everyone toed off their shoes on the rug right inside the door and made their way into the lavish sitting room, which was decorated in a dark maroon with golden accents. Nate sunk into a plush chair and sighed as he accepted a cup of coffee gratefully from Allan, who set it by his good side, already made the way he liked it.

"Thanks Allan." He said, receiving a nod. Once Allan was sure everyone was settled he left them to their business.

"So Nate. I heard you ran afoul of a human you and a few of your Clanmates were protecting. I believe it was the one you sent us a letter about a month ago. A Werebear after her Ex for illicit purposes, if I remember correctly?" He gave his affirmative and Josh produced a file from the table next to the couch he and Shasta were sitting on.

"As you know, Nate, I run Human Resources, for the humans affiliated with the Packs and Clans of the state. I got a hold of the HR Head in California, thinking that maybe Mr. Colbert escaped a Tie with a Were or Shifter out there. As far as they were concerned, Brad Colbert has never even remotely shown on their radar, let alone been Tied to someone. Then, Allan thought that maybe the Ex got a taste of his blood and found Essence there, and he just hadn't come into his powers yet."

Nate leaned forward to hear this part. If they were dealing with a still sealed Shifter or Were who just hadn't come into their powers yet, then protecting Brad Colbert would become much easier. He could be introduced to one of the Packs or Clans and be guarded like that.

"It was a little more difficult than usual to get his parental history, because he was adopted at only a few months old, but with a little help from the supernatural contacts in the government, we pulled his actual bloodline records for one hundred years and compared them against every record we have. The last supernatural in his bloodline was his Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather, who was a Werelion."

"What about an undocumented supernatural? Not everyone follows the law and registers after the first shift. And even if they want to, not everyone has an experienced Were or Shifter with them the first time, so they don't know who to report too anyway."

"We thought about that." Josh said and he rifled through his file for a minute before handing Nate a sheath of papers. "As you know, everyone is required to submit to a drug test when they first apply for a job in law enforcement and that agency is required to keep samples for retesting up to three months after the fact. We got the samples Brad gave last month and ran the hormone test on them. Nothing. Brad Colbert is completely human. His Ex wants him for illegal things only. No Tie. No Essence."

That complicated matters a lot. Not just for Nate, or the Council. Not just for his Clan. But for the whole supernatural community. Right now there was human running around, unchecked, with thoughts that could out the whole lot of them with disastrous results.

"What happened when he found you, Nate?" Shasta asked. Nate sat back with a sigh.

"I don't know. Ray says when he found me, I was still going completely off Instinct at that point, and that was at least ten minutes after the trap got me. Doc Bryan said I didn't start using full words until well after he got the pain medicine in me. Full sentences didn't start until after my arm was in a cast."

Shasta looked shocked. "You had a prolonged fit of Instinct for over an hour after a forced shift?" She asked and Nate nodded. "Nathaniel that's almost unheard of. What did Doc Bryan have to say about it?" She asked and Nate finished his coffee before he responded.

"He said it happens occasionally. The trauma of getting caught, effectively shattering the entirety of my upper arm and the stress of possibly being outed prolonged the fit. Plus, the stimuli following the trauma, having a stranger release me from the trap and then being shuffled off to a busy ER, only made it worse." Shasta nodded and her faced darkened.

"Nathaniel. You know we need to do something about this human and we need to do it fast. He can't be out there gallivanting about unattended to. Humans who get ideas in their heads about our kind usually end up causing some kind of damage or another."

Nate sighed and placed his face in his good hand. "What are our options?" He asked, knowing he wasn't going to like his answer.

"We have three." Josh started and stopped, looking a little pale in the face, so Shasta spoke for him.

"We Bond and Tie him, we imprison him for life or we have the cleaners do a real good job of sanitizing his place when the Task Force gets done with him."

In other words, Brad's options were slim.

Subjugation, Imprisonment or Death.


End file.
